Table 1.
Data for ten patients with spinal tumors identified in hospital after referral for treatment of degenerative spine disease
| Case, sex/age in years | Symptom duration | Main complaints | Out-of-hospital diagnostic imaging (diagnosis) | In-hospital imaging (diagnosis) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, M/49 | 4 weeks | Recumbent back pain, sciatica along anterior thigh, both legs | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT and MRI (lumbar stenosis due to scoliosis) | Thoracolumbar MRI (astrocytoma T9–11) |
| 2, M/71 | 8 weeks | Recumbent back pain, neurogenic claudication | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (lumbar stenosis) | Myelography, CT bone scan, skeletal scintigram (metastatic tumor L2/3, lumbar stenosis L4/5) |
| 3, F/30 | 1.5 years | Recumbent back pain, acute sphincter disturbance | Lumbar disc herniation (failed back operation 1 year earlier) | Lumbar MRI (conus ependymoma) |
| 4, F/78 | 6 months | Recumbent back pain, leg pain both sides | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (lumbar stenosis) | Myelography, lumbar MRI (neurinoma L1/2) |
| 5, M/59 | 1 year | Back pain, leg pain left side | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (stenosis due to ankylosing spondylitis) | Thoracolumbar MRI (neurinoma L1/2) |
| 6, F/62 | 9 months | Sciatica left side | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (lumbar stenosis) | Thoracolumbar MRI (neurinoma L2/3) |
| 7, M/50 | 2 weeks | Back pain, sciatica right leg | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (calcified disc herniation L5/S1, recessus stenosis S1) | None (intraoperatively: intradural ganglioneuroma S1 root) |
| 8, F/68 | 1.5 years | Neck pain, progressive myelopathy | X-ray cervical spine, CT cervical spine (cervical stenosis C4/5/6) | Craniocervical MRI (meningioma C2) |
| 9, M/54 | 1 year | Back pain, sciatica left leg | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT and MRI (spondylarthrosis, lumbar juxtafacet cyst) | None (intraoperatively: neurinoma L5 root) |
| 10, F/73 | 1.5 years | Recumbent back pain, sciatica along anterior right thigh | Spinal X-ray, lumbar CT (disc herniation L3/4—already operated twice) | Thoracolumbar MRI (meningioma T2/3) |